Pre-Marriage Regulations

Mandatory Interviews of Foreign Spouses
The Ministry of Justice along with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family have begun a pilot program wherein foreign spouses-to-be will be required to undergo an interview before they can secure a visa to come to Korea and register their marriages. This interview process will run initially as a pilot program in Korean consulates/embassies during the first half of 2013. The government will then make the necessary revisions to relevant laws in order to make the requirement mandatory.

According to Korean media, the government has indicated that the interviews will help identify, in advance, spouses whose visa applications could be rejected.

Among other things, the authorities will be evaluating the foreign spouse’s basic language skills. Government officials have indicated that the common language need not be Korean.

Review of Korean Spouses Financials
The government initiated a process in November 2012 by which officials are authorized to review the financial situation of Korean spouses (usually men) who are planning to marry a foreign national. This was in response to problems faced by foreign spouses who married men who didn't have regular incomes or even proper residences (living in motels for example). Korean spouses who were bankrupt or credit defaulters are not eligible to marry a foreign national.

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